Phoenix
by DramaLexy
Summary: It wasn't possible to teach her control, it had to be forced. The Phoenix had to be caged. I took the flashback scene from X3 and ran with it. Please R&R.
1. Prologue

TITLE: Phoenix

AUTHOR: DramaLexy

SUMMARY: **It wasn't possible to teach her control - it had to be forced. The Phoenix had to be caged.** I took the flashback scene from X3 and ran with it. Please R&R.

DISCLAIMER: If they were mine, there would be far less dead bodies. But alas...

* * *

She hadn't looked at them, not once, on the drive back to the mansion in Westchester. Jean's eyes were focused on the window as Charles drove, with a look on her face that was halfway between indifference and annoyance. She didn't say a word on the trip, and Charles longed to know what was going on inside of her mind, but wasn't going to psychically pry. Trust had to be built between them, and he knew that if Jean sensed him using his powers on her uninvited, that would never happen. 

The car stopped in the front driveway of the castle-like mansion, and everyone got out. Eric retrieved Jean's bags from the trunk while Charles stepped around the car to where his newest charge was waiting, just staring at the house.

"Let's go inside," he told her. "You can unpack later. There's much for you to see and for us to talk about."

In the front foyer, the twelve-year-old child was still silent, though her eyes had turned more curious than angered. "There are six students here now," Charles told her, "Including you. Someday, I hope the house will be full of children. You'll have science courses with Mr. Lensherr – "

/_Eric_/ she psychically interrupted him.

/_Out of respect_, _please call him Mr. Lensherr_/ Charles replied in kind. "And also out of respect, we generally do not have psychic conversations unless there is a reason for them." Jean studied him for a long moment, but finally gave a little nod.

A door down the hall behind them opened and five students emerged, ranging in age from thirteen to seventeen and holding books or notebooks while chatting together happily. Charles smiled as he saw the white-haired youngest of the group. "Ororo," he called to her, and she obediently made her way over to him.

"Yes, Professor?" she asked, a slight accent in her voice.

"We have a new student. This is Jean Grey. Jean, this is Ororo Monroe. She'll be your roommate here."

Ororo smiled, offering a hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said. "I know you're going to like it here." Jean looked down at the other girl's hand, but didn't take it. Ororo turned to Charles, a slight frown on her face.

"Why don't you show Jean around the mansion?" he gently suggested. She nodded.

"Okay." Charles was glad when the redhead actually followed her.

"Jean?" he called to the younger of the two, stopping them. "No psi." Her eyes narrowed slightly, but he was reasonably certain that she would comply. The girls headed down the hall toward the classrooms with Ororo chattering on about which of their three professors taught which subjects.

Eric came down the stairs, having finished putting Jean's belongings in her room. "When does her training begin?" he asked Charles.

"It already has," he quietly replied.

* * *

TBC... 


	2. A New Student

Jean was quiet during Ororo's tour of the mansion, only asking a few questions as they went. The professor had said not to use her telepathic powers, but he hadn't said no telekinesis. She enjoyed slightly startling Ororo when she lifted a book off the table in the library with her mind.

"You have TK," she realized. "I thought you were only a psi."

Jean put the book back. "What do you do?"

Ororo walked over to the window and looked to the skies. Her brown eyes turned completely white, and clouds began to gather. Snowflakes slowly began floating to the ground, and Jean opened the window so she could catch a few with her hand.

"This shouldn't be possible," Jean told her.

"Anything is possible with the right gifts."

"Why do you stay here?" Jean asked as she brushed the snow from her fingers. "You could use your powers for anything."

"Ororo," a voice called from behind them, and both girls turned to see a furry blue hulk of a man taking up the entirety of the doorway. "A sudden rainstorm is one thing, my girl. Snow in June is another." Ororo's eyes shifted back, and the sky cleared.

"Sorry, Dr. McCoy. I wanted to show Jean." She offered the other girl a little smile. "Just because we can doesn't mean we should," she answered her earlier question.

"I heard we would be receiving a new student," Hank said, stepping toward them, but Jean stepped back.

"What are you?" she asked, her face showing a bit of fear.

Hank wasn't phased; he'd been answering that question for many years. "I'm a mutant, like you," he told her. "I'm also going to be one of your teachers."

Jean had known there were others in the world that had 'illnesses' like hers. However, she'd had no idea that anyone could have a mutation like Hank's. Apparently Xavier's mansion was going to be a very interesting place.

* * *

That evening, Charles asked Jean to come see him in his office before dinner. "How are you settling in?" he asked as she shut the door behind her. 

"Okay." Charles sat at a chair by the window, motioning for Jean to join him.

"One of the other students, Megan, said she would take you shopping in town this weekend, if there's anything you'd like. Decorations for your room or new clothes." Jean nodded. She noticed a paperweight on the desk behind him that reminded her of something her father once had. Slowly, it lifted into the air.

"Are you and Ororo getting along all right?"

"Yeah." A pen also rose up off of the polished wood of Charles' desk.

"Good. I wanted to speak with you about your powers, Jean. In this house, they are viewed as gifts, not illnesses. Part of our jobs as your teachers is to help you learn how to properly use your abilities, being respectful of others." A cup, a pair of scissors, and a few sheets of paper also now hung in the air. "There are rules to having telepathic powers that honorable mutants follow. Most importantly, we do not enter the thoughts of others uninvited. You and I can have sessions together to work on developing your abilities." Jean just nodded. Every single item on his desk was now hovering in the air. "Good judgment also applies to your telekinetic powers. You can use your gift within reason so long as you are not endangering others or yourself. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. And Jean? Put everything back exactly where you found it." She froze for a moment, studying him, wondering how it was that he knew what she'd been doing. Had he been inside her head, after the lecture he'd just given her on not intruding uninvited? She hadn't felt him in her mind, however, so that was unlikely. She brought everything down to a mere inch above the desk's surface, then let it all drop. Charles didn't even flinch at the noise, though he sincerely hoped nothing was broken.

"May I go to dinner?" she asked, her voice cold. He nodded and watched her leave. He'd known that taking Jean in wouldn't be easy, but he was beginning to wonder if it would be possible to control her. She apparently had no desire to be tamed.

* * *

TBC... 


	3. Tests

That Saturday, while Jean and Megan were in town, Charles found Ororo working on homework in the downstairs library. "What subject is this?" he asked her as he sat down beside her.

"A report for science. Mr. Lensherr wanted us to research some of what's behind our powers." She held up a book with a picture of a lightning strike. "Thunderstorms are pretty cool, really."

"I'm glad you're interested. Take a break with me for a moment." She nodded, putting down her pen. "I wanted your opinion on how Jean is adjusting to life here."

Ororo looked down considering that for a moment. "She doesn't talk much. And I don't think she likes having rules on using her powers."

"Neither did another student, if I recall." Ororo smiled slightly. When she'd come from Africa a year earlier, 'culture shock' wasn't quite an accurate way to describe the transition. She'd been worshipped by her village for her ability to bring good weather to them and horrible twists of fate to the crops of their enemies. She'd thought of herself like a goddess, but had learned from her time at Xavier's school that she was just a girl and really had been horribly taken advantage of.

"I know that I couldn't have been an easy student when I first arrived here," she told him. "You were patient with me, so I'll be patient with Jean. She'll come around."

Charles smiled; so many of his students were so wise beyond their years. "Good luck with your report," he told her before getting up and leaving.

* * *

Eric didn't need psychic powers to detect the presence of a small child outside his office door on Sunday evening. Jean was watching him quietly, barely peeking around the doorframe. "Did you need something, my dear?" he asked her. She stepped forward, seemingly timid. 

"What do you do?" she asked him. Eric smiled, looking to the pendulum balls on his desk. With just a thought, the balls began swinging, softly banging against each other. He noticed a small spark light in Jean's eyes.

"You're like me," she quietly said.

Eric smiled. "No, my dear. I can only manipulate metal." Jean moved closer, tipping her head in thought as she concentrated on the swinging balls. Their tempo slowly increased – then abruptly stopped. Jean's face mirrored Eric's smile. She subtly projected a suggestion to his mind, her smile growing as he complied with her wishes and used his powers to lift another item from his desk into the air. Eric twisted the object around with delicate control before pushing it towards the child in front of him, offering it to her.

Jean reached out with her thoughts, taking the paperweight under her own control. She'd never considered practicing precision with her powers – the larger and heavier an object she could lift, the more it would freak out her parents. Forcefully returning things to where they'd come from made their reaction even bigger. But now she wanted Eric's ability to carefully handle objects, and knew it wouldn't take her long to practice and perfect the skill. Her powers were beyond compare – and the man before her was fully aware of it. It was why she had come to him. There wasn't any chance that Charles would play her games, let her test and explore like Eric would. Charles was afraid of her; Eric was in awe of her. And Jean had quickly found that she liked being a fascination.

Bored with their current toy, Jean moved on to something bigger – the bookcase along the wall. She could feel a slight tug in her mind as Eric took the structure from her 'grasp'. As he held the piece of furniture up by its screws, Jean started lifting out the books one by one. Eric laughed as she opened one of them and made it flutter about the room like a bird.

"What are you doing?" a voice demanded. Jean spun to see that Charles was in the doorway, and he didn't look happy at all.

"Simply a test of ability," Eric calmly told his friend, putting the bookcase back down. Jean returned the books to their shelves. She didn't like the look Charles had fixed on her; he was studying her a bit too closely.

"Jean," he finally said, his voice low and admonishing. He shifted his attention to Eric, concentrating on removing what Jean had planted in his mind. "We do NOT use our abilities on each other."

Free of Jean's 'spell,' Eric looked at her, surprised. He'd never even felt her power over him; her subtle skill made him briefly wonder what exactly she'd been doing at home with her parents to keep herself amused.

"What were you trying to do?" Charles asked her. Jean looked to Eric and a decidedly wicked little smile crossed her face.

"Just a test," she said, and left the room.

* * *

TBC... 


	4. the Phoenix

As Charles and Eric followed Jean down the hall, she sent random items falling from end tables or shelves with her telekinesis. Charles could sense her anger building – and her power along with it. "Jean, stop!" he told her, but she wouldn't listen. Ororo, Jason, and Megan poked their heads out of the library door, their curiosity piqued by all the noise.

"Go up to your rooms," Eric told them, and they scampered up the stairs. Ororo looked back, concerned for her roommate, but Megan pulled her along until they were out of sight. Eric caught up with Charles and Jean in the kitchen; the little redhead had started tearing the room apart, lifting any stray pieces of silverware or china into the air and floating them around.

"Jean, stop this," Charles ordered.

Everything began moving faster. "Or what?"

/_You don't want to find out_/ he projected into her mind.

Charles could almost watch her control slipping away as her emotions became stronger; her eyes turned dark and dangerous. Various items around the kitchen began rising into the air, flying about as Jean practically made a cyclone around herself. Her red hair was caught up in the wind she created, floating behind her head. The setting sun outside made the ends glow, almost like fire.

"A little phoenix," Eric murmured.

Charles had never shared his friend's attachment to having mutant names in addition to the ones they were born with. He didn't really have the time at the moment to care what the other man was calling the small but horribly powerful monster in his kitchen. In addition to the swirling teacups and plates and knives and forks, the cabinet doors were opening and closing, shaking the objects that were stored behind them. The window panes were starting to rattle. Charles had only about another ten seconds before stopping Jean would require more than the abilities that he possessed. Reaching out with his mind, and being extremely careful not to kill her, he used his psychic abilities to quickly render her unconscious.

Every item that had been flying around the kitchen shattered on the floor. The leftover energy that her mind had produced coursed through her body in the form of a brief seizure, and Eric stepped forward to make sure she didn't hurt herself. As the tremors faded, however, the room was plunged into silence. Charles moved to scoop Jean up in his arms. He had to get the ' Phoenix' under control; what he'd just done to stop her would never work again. Her mind wouldn't let it.

"Charles – " Eric started, but he shook his head, stopping his friend mid-sentence.

"Don't let anyone disturb us," he ordered before heading for the basement.

* * *

Jean awakened far sooner than Charles had hoped. He just barely managed to set her in a corner inside the Danger Room – the only soundproof room in the house other than Cerebro – and then lock the door before he heard her stirring. Jean slowly stood, her eyes still frighteningly dark and fixed on her teacher. "Let me go," she demanded. Charles didn't answer, so she switched tacks. /_Let me go, let me go!_/ her voice screamed in his mind, her telekinesis lifting his feet off the ground. /_I want to go home!_/ 

"Do you, Jean?" he replied aloud, his voice echoing off the walls. "Do you really want to return? Your parents believe that you're ill." /_We both know differently_/ he projected into her mind.

"Everyone pretends that I'm not what I am," she said.

"Oh, I know very well what you are. You, Jean Grey, are possibly the most powerful mutant that has ever lived. You have the potential to do many things – great things – but power is all about being in control."

"I am in control," she protested.

"I'd invite you to take a look at the kitchen and then say that again." She smartly didn't answer. "Your body right now is nothing but a conduit for the energy that controls you."

Slowly, she lowered him back to the ground. "You can't stop it. You can't change me."

Charles gave her a little smile as he stepped closer. "You can do remarkable things, Jean. I don't want to take your gifts away; I want to give you the ability to control them. The power to choose your own future." She was quiet, thinking. "Let me help you, Jean." He offered a hand to her, and after a few moments' hesitation, she took it.

"I want to be in control," she told him. Charles nodded.

"Turn around," he said, and she complied. Raising his hands over her head, he made a link with her mind. Unlike Eric, Charles knew it wasn't possible to teach her control – it had to be forced. The ' Phoenix' had to be caged; he'd deal with everything else afterwards.

_/What are you doing?_/ Jean projected into his mind, panic rising as she felt him taking control over her.

/_Saving you_/ he replied. /_Saving us all_/

* * *

Two days later, they both emerged from the basement mentally and physically exhausted. Jean curled up in her bed with her clothes still on and almost instantly fell asleep. Ororo noticed that her roommate could barely push back her blanket with her mind – her telekinesis had been severely weakened. 

"Will she get better?" the African beauty asked Charles the following morning as he got a cup of tea in the kitchen. The other students had cleaned up Jean's mess while they'd been in the basement.

"She already is better," Charles gently corrected her. "With training, she'll relearn how to use her gifts in a way that's safer for everyone."

They both looked up as the topic of their conversation came into the kitchen. "Good morning, Jean," Charles told her. A faint smile crossed her face.

"Good morning, Professor Xavier, Ororo."

"Are you hungry?" Ororo asked her. "I'm making breakfast."

Jean nodded. "Can I help?"

Now it was Ororo's turn to smile. She wasn't quite sure what the Professor had done to her roommate – her friend – but it seemed to have been for the best. "Sure."

* * *

TBC... 


	5. Epilogue

It took some time for everyone to adjust. Jean hadn't been attending school at home – her parents were too afraid of her to let her out in public – so she had a little bit of catching up to do at Xavier's. She chose to first focus on her schoolwork instead of on re-developing her powers and Hank enjoyed seeing the smile on her face when he handed back her first A+ examination in his social studies class.

"Excellent work, Jean," he told her.

As soon as class was over, she ran down the hall to Charles' office, eager to share her accomplishment with him. However, upon knocking on and then opening the door, she realized that he wasn't alone. "I'm sorry," she told him as she started to close the door back.

"It's all right, Jean. There's someone I would like for you to meet. We have a new student at the school. This is Scott Summers." She stepped into the room, her eyes widening slightly as she realized that the eight-year-old boy sitting before Charles had thick gauze pads covering his eyes. "Scott, this is Jean Grey," he continued. "She's been a student here for a little over four months."

"It's nice to meet you," Jean said, offering her hand to him before realizing that he couldn't possibly see it. She sheepishly clasped her hands behind her back, looking to Charles for a clue as to what to do next.

"Would you like to go up to your room?" the Professor asked Scott. "Perhaps Jean could help you unpack." The boy slowly nodded.

Jean took his hand in order to lead him from the room, and Charles was surprised when Scott didn't pull back. According to the reports he had, the boy had shied away from everybody since his powers had manifested, terrified of hurting someone. Charles couldn't detect any sign that Jean was using her psi abilities to put the younger boy at ease; there was something special about the two of them.

_/Will you help him/_ Charles suddenly heard Jean's voice ask in his mind. /_Like you helped me/_

_/I'll always do everything I can for my students./_

He watched from his office doorway as the pair made their way up the staircase, faintly hearing Jean tell Scott how much he would like living in the mansion once he gave it a chance. Charles smiled to himself; she was going to be all right. He'd made the right choice.

"You know, Charles," Eric said as he walked down the hall, also having seen the children go up the stairs, "One day, your little girl is going to grow up and no longer want her training wheels. The Phoenix will always be inside her, fighting to be free."

Charles turned away from his friend. "If the Phoenix returns, the only way to stop her will be to kill her."

* * *

FIN 


End file.
